US and Japan issue terrorism warning following Uyghur deportation

[Gaybutton]

Maybe this is overreaction and maybe not, but I don't imagine an alert such as this is issued lightly or frivolously, especially since the alert points out similar deportations prompted such attacks before. Be careful and stay alert at least until this warning is rescinded.
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U.S. and Japan warn citizens of terrorism risks in Thailand following Uyghur deportation to China

March 1, 2025

Security Alert – U. S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand

Location: Throughout Thailand

Event: On 27 February 2025, the Royal Thai Government deported a group of 45 Uyghurs asylees to China. Similar deportations have prompted violent retaliatory attacks in the past. Most notably, in the wake of a 2015 deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand, improvised explosive devices detonated at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok killing 20 people and injuring 125 others as this shrine is heavily visited by tourists from China.

Actions to Take: The U.S. Mission in Thailand advises U.S. citizens to

* Exercise increased caution and vigilance, especially in crowded locations frequented by tourists due to the potential for increased collateral risk
* Review personal security plans
* Follow the instructions of local authorities

Assistance

U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand
Telephone: +66 2 205 4049
+66 2 205 4000 (after hours)
Email: [email protected]
American Citizens Services: https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai, Thailand
Telephone: +66 053 107 700
+66 2 205 4000 (after hours)
Email: [email protected]

State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Thailand Country Information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel ... iland.html
Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step

[Jun]

In many parts of the world, there are terrorist threats. Often from followers of a particular religion.

I gather when Xi visited the west of China a few years ago, there was some such disturbance. The clampdown started as a response to that.
So, whatever the rights and wrongs, I'm not wasting any sympathy on the Uyghurs.
They sure as hell wouldn't support us if we had problems.

[Gaybutton]

In many parts of the world, there are terrorist threats.

I don't know anywhere in the world immune from terrorist threat. Terrorists have no problem striking anywhere they want. It happens regularly in the deep south of Thailand, close to the Malaysian border where they want to break off from Thailand and form their own state. The latest one happened only a week before this post, February 24, in Thailand's deep south just before Thaksin's visit. Fortunately no one was hurt.

Most of the time terrorists strike for no apparent reason. They rarely say what they want or why they did it. They just seem to enjoy killing and injuring people. A perfect example of that was the Tsarnaev brothers and the Boston Marathon bomb. It was only after the bombing and after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving brother, was caught that he said the motivation was the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What was the bombing supposed to accomplish? If neither of them were ever caught, we probably never would have known the motivation.

I, for one, take the embassy warning seriously. The warning won't stop me from doing what I want or going where I want, but I'm going to be much more alert and observant for the time being. Again, I don't believe the embassy would have issued a warning unless they had reason to think the danger is genuine.

[Gaybutton]

Although the warning has not been lifted, it has been two weeks and nothing involving terrorism has happened. That does not mean it is safe to be complacent about the possibility, but I think moving this topic from "Announcements", but leaving it in place as a standard topic is now appropriate.